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Homeowner drapes giant banner across his £500k house in dispute with developer

Balbinder Singh, from Mickleover, Derbyshire, is in a dispute over building repairs with developer Avant Homes.

Ross McGuinness
Updated ·3-min read
A homeowner in Mickleover has plastered a huge poster above his garage as part of a row that has erupted between him and developer Avant Homes, who built his house. Balbinder Singh is unhappy and claims he's still trying to get problems fixed that he says have been there since he moved in back in April 2021. Avant Homes says that issues have been caused by him having an extension built that impacted his warranty. Now, almost two years on, Mr Singh claims the company is ignoring him.
A homeowner has put up a huge banner outside his house outlining his dispute with a developer in Mickleover, Derbyshire. (Reach)

A homeowner has unfolded a large banner across his house in a dispute with a developer.

Balbinder Singh, who lives on the Cotchett Village estate in Mickleover, Derbyshire, is locked in a battle with building company Avant Homes, which constructed his property.

He claims they have refused to fix issues with the house since he moved in two years ago.

But Avant says the problems were caused by an extension that he had installed, which it says has impacted his warranty.

Singh moved into the house in April 2021 but now he says the company are ignoring him.

He has put up a large sign above his garage which reads: "Avant Homes our review. We moved in 1st April 2021 and work is still uncompleted.

"Avant is no longer responding to us. There is lots of uncompleted work. We are happy to share pictures. Don't make the mistake we made."

Avant said they have been in discussions with Singh regarding the £500,000 property. It claimed the issues in his home were caused by the construction of an extension.

Read more: Homeowner fined for illegally knocking down his £800,000 home without telling the council

A homeowner in Mickleover has plastered a huge poster above his garage as part of a row that has erupted between him and developer Avant Homes, who built his house. Balbinder Singh is unhappy and claims he's still trying to get problems fixed that he says have been there since he moved in back in April 2021. Avant Homes says that issues have been caused by him having an extension built that impacted his warranty. Now, almost two years on, Mr Singh claims the company is ignoring him.
A homeowner in Mickleover, Derbyshire, has draped a huge banner over his home, right of picture, in a dispute with his developer. (Reach)

Singh said: "They're ignoring us and they're not bothered. We're fed up. How can they leave it like this? They agree with me when I speak to them and then nobody comes. Someone has to come forward."

Singh said water is running off a front porch and down the wall by the side of the front door, leading to damp and moss growth.

He also said bi-folding doors at the property need their glass replaced and that internal doors require painting.

He claimed an upstairs toilet seat is damaged and that an extractor fan has damaged lighting.

Singh erected the sign, which he designed, on 6 March, and other residents say they have suffered similar problems with their properties.

Another resident, Kevin Crisp, said: "There's been loads of stuff. We had a street barbecue for the Queen's Jubilee last year and the theme was that everyone is having the same problem."

Crisp said a sink problem led to a kitchen worktop warping and a replacement was cut too short. He also said a section of the back garden underneath the tap has been sodden with water for months.

A homeowner in Mickleover has plastered a huge poster above his garage as part of a row that has erupted between him and developer Avant Homes, who built his house. Balbinder Singh is unhappy and claims he's still trying to get problems fixed that he says have been there since he moved in back in April 2021. Avant Homes says that issues have been caused by him having an extension built that impacted his warranty. Now, almost two years on, Mr Singh claims the company is ignoring him.
A number of residents in the estate in Mickleover, Derbyshire, say they have had issues with their new homes. (Reach)

Steven Bosworth, who also lives on the estate, said he had his downstairs toilet ripped out and refitted due to water leaking through walls, floors relaid due to scratches and kitchen units redone due to missing plug sockets.

"We'd never buy from them again," he said. "They're a waste of time and don't want to fix anything. I'm constantly pushing them to come round and fix stuff and we're still waiting."

A spokesperson for Avant Homes said of Singh's concerns: “We have been in ongoing dialogue with the occupant regarding his property.

"Having fully investigated the occupant’s concerns regarding his home, we believe a significant number of them were caused by the building of an extension on the property after the house was purchased.

“We have inspected the house and communicated back to the occupant what is acceptable for us to resolve in relation to his concerns outside of those created by the extension.

“Our customer liaison team is proactively dealing with a very small number of residents at the development who have raised concerns to ensure any reasonable requests are addressed."